New Delhi (October 14): The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved a 78-day productivity-linked bonus (PLB) worth ₹2,009.61 crore for 11,40,770 railway employees, recognising their contribution to the performance of Indian Railways.
Eligible employees will receive a maximum bonus of ₹17,951. The payment will cover non-gazetted Group C staff, including track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers, station masters, supervisors, technicians, pointsmen and ministerial employees.
Bonus To Reward Railway Employees' Performance
According to an official statement, the PLB is paid annually ahead of the Durga Puja and Dussehra festivals to recognise employees' contributions and encourage improvements in railway operations.
The Cabinet said the bonus would serve as an incentive for employees to maintain operational efficiency and improve the overall performance of Indian Railways.
Railways Records Strong Freight And Passenger Growth
During FY 2025-26, Indian Railways transported a record 1,670 million tonnes of cargo and carried nearly 7.41 billion passengers.
Freight loading increased by 5.4% year-on-year in August 2026, reaching 137.9 million tonnes compared with 130.9 million tonnes in August 2025. Freight revenue also rose by 6.27% during the period.
Passenger traffic registered growth, with 67.27 crore passengers travelling in August 2026, compared with 64.43 crore during the corresponding month last year.
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Five New Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals Commissioned
Indian Railways also expanded its freight-handling infrastructure by commissioning five Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals in August 2026.
The new terminals are located at Shivlakha in Gujarat, Nalli in Tamil Nadu, Shaktinagar in Uttar Pradesh, Deoragram in Madhya Pradesh and Brajrajnagar in Odisha.
With these additions, the total number of commissioned Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals reached 149 as of August 31, 2026.
The expansion is expected to strengthen freight connectivity, improve supply chains and facilitate the transportation of essential commodities and industrial goods.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
